Almost officially, Asus Philippines is to bring the latest and much-talked about Zenfone 3 variants, namely Zenfone 3 Deluxe, Zenfone 3 Ultra, and Zenfone 3, in the country beginning August 14, 2016. That's about two weeks from today. Three Zenfone 3 smartphones right off the bat are going to land in the local shelves starting that date, however and surprisingly, it does not end there. Asus Zenfone fans are in for more incredible treats, as two more members of the new Zenfone Series are also debuting this August 14!

Asus Philippines just confirmed the arrival of the Zenfone 3 Laser and Zenfone 3 Max in the local market. So in total, we will all have five Zenfone 3 smartphones in one launch event on August 14. In case you don't know yet, this event is called Zenvolution, this is where Asus PH will formally and locally launch these new Zenfone devices together with the new generation of ZenBook and Transformer laptops.

The Zenfone 3 Max and Zenfone 3 Laser are both equipped with 13MP main camera with the latest Sony IMX214 sensor that are capable of capturing stunning photos without any lag. Most especially, the Zenfone 3 Laser is able to achieve focus in just 0.03 seconds, thanks to its Laser Autofocus system. This same laser has an operational range of 1.5, twice compared to other smartphones.

One of the best camera features we should be excited about these new phones is its ability to capture bright photos even when taken in not so bright places. The devices feature Low Light mode with pixel-merging technology that captures 400% brighter photos at night or in extreme low light scenes - even without flash. So if you have been struggling to get better and brighter photos in dark conditions, with these new Zenfone 3 devices, that won't be a problem anymore.

And of course the removal of plastic casing. Asus has gone full metal with the Zenfone 3 series and this makes the devices even more premium than they already are. This is also one of things I am very excited about the Zenfone 3 handsets, their new design. Both devices have Fingerprint Sensor placed near the top of its rear panel, allowing the index finger to naturally rest on it. The fingerprint sensor allows it to rapidly unlock the phone and uses authentication by other apps.

The Asus Zenfone 3 Laser boasts a Snapdragon 430 octa-core processor paired with 4GB RAM and 32GB internal storage. The storage can also be expanded via microSD card. The Zenfone 3 Max, on the other hand, sports massive 4,130mAh battery pack that provides up to 30 days of standby time, and the ability to turn into a powerbank with its reverse-charging capabilities. This also comes with an octa-core processor clocked at 1.2GHz complimented with Mali T720 graphics processor. See more specs below.

Asus Zenfone 3 Max specs:

5.2-inch HD IPS Display

1280 x 720 resolution

2.5D Curved Glass

1.2GHz octa-core processor

3GB RAM

32GB internal storage

Supports microSD card up to 64GB

13MP Pixelmaster Rear camera with 5p Lagan Lens

5MP front camera with f/2.0 aperture

WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS

Android 6.0 Marshmallow with ZenUI

Fingerprint Sensor

3G

4G LTE

Dual-SIM

149.5 x 73.7 x 8.55 mm

148 grams

Titanium Gray, Glacier Silver, Sand Gold

4130mAh battery

Asus Zenfone 3 Laser specs:

5.5-inch Full HD IPS Display

1920 x 1080 resolution

2.5D Curved Glass

Corning Gorilla Glass 3

1.2GHz octa-core Snapdragon 430 processor

Adreno 505

4GB RAM

32GB Internal storage

Supports microSD card up to 128GB

13MP Pixelmaster Rear Camera with Sony IMX214 Sensor

8MP front camera with f/2.0 aperture

Android 6.0 Marshmallow with ZenUI

WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS

Fingerprint Scanner

3G

4G LTE

Dual-SIM

3000mAh battery

While Asus Philippines has confirmed the arrival date of these two new smartphones, they have yet to disclose the official local pricing for the Zenfone 3 Max and Zenfone 3 Laser. Of course, that thing is reserved to be unveiled on August 14 Zenvolution event. So please stay tuned for more details.